February 20, 2017

Disengagement

Now that we have a Republican congress and senate, along with a Republican president and an overwhelming majority of Republican statehouse and state legislatures, you'd think complacency would be okay for a bit. From a conservative voter perspective, we were probably all hoping for a set it and forget it government. President Trump and Congress would obliterate all resistance and do what they are expected to do. As people, conservative voters could get on with their lives, and as far as governance goes, a benign disengagement would be perfectly fine.

Sadly not so for a number of reasons. The left is as shrill and outlandishly ridiculous as they have ever been. The left, consisting of Democrats, protesters and a violently hostile media with no pretense of objectivity or rationality left, are one reason that disengagement is not an option. Another reason is the Republicans. Now with a president Trump, the issue is not the same as if there were a president McCain or Romney or Jeb Bush. They're way too middle of the road to preside over a Gorsuch nomination for the Supreme Court vacancy. The SCOTUS would be just as likely to end up with a Stevens 2.0 as an Alito 2.0, probably more likely in fact. Trump has stayed true to his word on the campaign trail so far. Free Trade aside (and arguably he's not turned his back on real free trade at all), conservatives should be thrilled with the presidency and disengaged not from politics but perhaps just from the mainstream media.

But there is the Senate. There's still a John McCain, and Lindsey Graham. There's still a Murkowski. There's a lot of softness and that alone makes the set-it-and-forget-it conservative dream era not currently possible. As voters and potential town hall participants it's important to keep their feet to the fire and not allow them to go squishy or else face being primaried in their next election cycle. In fact, the looming 2018 midterms present a powerful opportunity for the GOP to truly consolidate their hold on power and winning a filibuster-proof majority is a high priority. In order to get their the president and the Republicans in congress must have a track record of successfully delivering on promises and priorities. To do that, voters have a responsibility to keep their REpublican representatives on script rather than going rogue and messing things up.

Disengagement? Not an option, not now, not ever. Not for conservative voters, not for Trump supporters. The left, like rust, never sleeps, so neither can conservatives.